‘The reality is if you lose even a handful of those billionaires or multi-millionaires, those who have two or three houses somewhere else and can pretty quickly change their legal address and avoid New York taxes, it does have an impact.’
Provider after provider, several with tears in their eyes, expressed dismay at the city’s inadequate reimbursement rate for meals.
Advocates predict that changes proposed by the governor could reduce the number of ‘fiscal intermediaries,’ who help administer the Medicaid program that pays for home-health aides, by 90 percent.
The vote avoided an alternative plan that would have hiked the base fare to $3, something disabled riders and advocates argued would unevenly burden Access-a-Ride users.
Will a looming budget crunch slow down the Empire State’s progressive wave?
‘There is a continuing series of feasibility studies that generate money for consultants along with free publicity for elected officials. At the end of the day, the long abandoned Brooklyn to Staten Island subway will stay buried.’
‘For some observers the prospect of slower revenue growth means that the City must tighten its belt and reduce its workforce. Hooverism never dies, does it?’
New York City certainly knows how much it owes to municipal bondholders—about $37 billion—for lending it the money to build bridges, schools and other important stuff. But it doesn’t know who holds all those IOUs.
When it comes to participatory budgeting, the work of actually making the city’s democracy more vibrant is just beginning.
‘There’s plenty of things to worry about, ethics included, and a need for action on all of them. But without a reasoned and careful reform of the budget process they will be fodder for headlines and soundbites, and not much more.’